15 moments that defined the first 15 Monster Energy races of the season

Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway (1:30 p.m., ET, FS1) is the 16th points race on the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule. And it’s also the final race of the year on the FOX family of networks.

So with that in mind, here are the 15 moments that defined the first 15 races of the season.

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1

Daytona

The year started off with one of the wildest finishes ever in Daytona 500 history, as four different drivers led the final 4 laps of the Great American Race. But when first Chase Elliott, then Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Larson ran out of gas in the final laps, Kurt Busch was able to win his first restrictor-plate race ever by leading only the final lap.

LAT ImagesNigel Kinrade

2

Atlanta

Kevin Harvick had the field covered in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, leading 292 of 325 laps. But a costly late-race speeding penalty handed the victory to Brad Keselowski, as Harvick finished ninth.

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3

Las Vegas

Brad Keselowski appeared headed for a second consecutive victory in his Team Penske Ford until disaster struck in the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. There something broke on the front end of Keselowski’s car, allowing Martin Truex Jr. to pass him for the win with just two laps to go.

, LAT Images www.latphoto.co.ukRussell LaBounty

4

Phoenix

Ryan Newman rode a 127-race winless streak into the Camping World 500 at Phoenix Raceway. Likewise, his Richard Childress Racing team entered the race having not won in 112 tries. Kyle Busch dominated, but a gutsy pit call on the final caution gave Newman his only lead of the race, as led the final six laps to end the two long losing streaks.

Auto Club

So often in NASCAR, restarts dictate the final outcome. Such was the case at Auto Club Speedway, where leader Denny Hamlin had a poor restart as the race headed to overtime, allowing Kyle Larson to win his second consecutive race on a 2-mile track.

Martinsville

NASCAR’s oldest track featured a lot of contact, as the STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway was marred by 14 caution flags for a total of 95 laps. After trading the lead four times between Lap 406 and Lap 444, race-winner Brad Keselowski passed Kyle Busch for good on Lap 458 and held on to win his first grandfather clock. Once again, Busch led the most laps and didn’t win.

Texas

There’s a reason Jimmie Johnson is the best NASCAR racer of his generation and possibly the best ever. Johnson had to start the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway from the back of the grid because of a tire infraction. But he methodically worked his way to the front. The defining moment, though, might have been a bad pit stop for Ryan Blaney, who led 148 of the first 172 laps, but never afterwards in the 334-lap race.

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8

Bristol

After posting only one top-10 finish in the first six Cup races of 2017, seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson won his second consecutive race by capturing the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Johnson passed Kevin Harvick with 21 laps to go to secure his big win. Once again, though, the defining moment was someone else’s pit-road miscue: In this case, Kyle Larson was caught speeding after leading the first 202 laps.

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9

Richmond

Joey Logano won his first Cup race of 2017 in a big way, starting from the back because of a transmission change and then passing leader Kyle Larson on Lap 384 of the 400-lap Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway. But Logano’s Team Penske Ford failed post-race tech inspection, meaning the finish was encumbered and therefore did not automatically advance to NASCAR’s 16-driver playoff grid. Logano has not won since, so this could be a defining moment for his whole season.

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10

Talladega

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Kyle Busch and the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led the most laps in the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway but didn’t win. On the final lap of the race, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. boldly passed Busch for the lead and then twice went to the high side to block him. The move gave Stenhouse his first career victory in 158 starts and broke a nearly three-year winless streak for car owner Jack Roush.

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11

Kansas

Martin Truex Jr. led the most laps in the Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway, where he won his second race of the season in the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota. But the defining moment of the race came on Lap 200, when Joey Logano and Danica Patrick crashed and Aric Almirola couldn’t stop behind them, hitting Patrick’s car in a huge impact. Patrick and Logano were both OK, but Almirola broke his back and is still sidelined.

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12

Charlotte

Jimmie Johnson and Austin Dillon both gambled on trying to stretch the fuel mileage at the end of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Johnson ran out of gas with two laps to go, as Dillon ran his tank dry to win his first career Cup race in 133 starts and return the No. 3 to Victory Lane for the first time since the late Dale Earnhardt won at Talladega on Oct. 15, 2000.

Dover

Another race, another restart that cost Kyle Larson dearly. Larson dominated the AAA 400 Drive for Autism, but on the last restart, Jimmie Johnson passed him to win for the 11th time at Dover International Speedway The victory, the 83rd of Johnson’s career, tied him with Cale Yarborough on NASCAR’s all-time win list.

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14

Pocono

There are two themes common to NASCAR races this year: 1. The fastest car doesn’t always win; and 2. The final restart is everything. Such was the case at Pocono Raceway, where Kyle Busch led the most laps in the Pocono 400, only to be passed by first-time race-winner Ryan Blaney three laps after the track went green for the final time on Lap 148 of 160. The defining moment here might have been the great job Blaney did holding off a hard-charging Kevin Harvick in the final five laps or so of the race. Blaney, the third first-time winner of 2017, won in his 68th start.